A Study of the Method for Software-Development Management of the Herschel Science Ground Segment

Currently project software managements for space observatories in China adopt methods based on the waterfall model and the requirement management for long-term fixed requirements. These methods cannot meet the demand to develop complex systems for ground-based applications of spaced-based observation. In this paper we present a study of the method of software-development management for the Herschel Science Ground Segment (HSGS), which is a first-class successful model of software-development management of the world. The HSGS uses the method of branched development. Based on an iterative model the method of branched development adopts the Software Project Management Plan (SPMP), which is practically reasonable and applicable. The implementation of the method in the HSGS synthetically meets the requirements of the HSGS and the payloads of the entire project. The method is an open-management approach capable of incorporating application requirements in practically emerging use cases. With the method the HSGS changes the conventional situation that a system for ground-based applications is developed at the final stage of a project of a spaced-based observatory. Instead, the HSGS works right from the payload-development stage, and it is frequently adjusted to meet changing requirements. The HSGS can thus always support data-analysis systems highly efficiently. The instrument engineers and scientists can accept training of operation of the scientific instruments from the start of the project to reduce chances for operational mistakes. Meanwhile, the software in the HSGS can be improved in the course of operations to ensure mission success. The merits of the HSGS are absent in managements of Chinese space projects. Our study of the HSGS shows a new method and a new line of thoughts for software-engineering managements of space-observatory projects in China.